


Jeric's Return

by TentaChicken



Series: Enter the Jhinverse (Jhlore) [2]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Into the Jhinverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23200840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TentaChicken/pseuds/TentaChicken
Summary: Putting the days of being a cowboy murderer behind him, Jeric wishes to live a semi-normal life. He had enough adventure for a lifetime, and is comfortable working as a bartender and earning a decent wage. That is, until a mysterious stranger and a familiar face reenter his life and ask for his help...(This is a spiritual sequel to "Rift into Dementia", so if you don't know what's happening, trust me I don't remember either. This is mostly to do with the Jhlore (Enter the Jhinverse), so each Jhin will go by a nickname to differentiate themselves unless it's the Real Canon Jhin, who is also a character here. This also takes place after my work "Magnificent".)(More info down below in the Author's Notes)
Relationships: nothing yet ill tag when it comes to it
Series: Enter the Jhinverse (Jhlore) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668022
Kudos: 3





	Jeric's Return

Jeric had finally found peace.

He found a comfortable job as bartender at a cozy club in the middle of nowhere. He had put the chaos in his life behind him, and wanted nothing more than just fade into obscurity. Serving drinks to strangers and engaging in cordial chit chat was a fine existence for him, he didn’t miss the past at all. Well, maybe a little bit of it. Weeks passed with no more oddities disrupting his life, and he felt ‘normal’ which suited him fine.

Sometimes Jeric would wake up in panic, seeing that devilish grin in his dreams, reminding him of the dreaded demonic creature and also of the dead and how much he had killed, but by the time he dressed up and left for his job behind the bar, Jeric was calm, complacent, and at ease. He didn’t need to even open the chest anymore, as he no longer needed the contents inside of it to earn a living, as the money he earned at the bar was enough. It seemed as if the management had difficulty keeping staff, which was an odd reason, but Jeric didn’t question it. The heads of the  _ Twilight Owl  _ luckily asked very few questions, and Jeric had managed to land himself a stable occupation that satisfied his now underwhelming lifestyle.

Of course, with his luck, Jeric should have suspected something was very very wrong. 

When the stranger entered the tavern, Jeric had his back turned, wiping a dirty glass. There was a small tap, and Jeric turned to see the stranger, clad in a beige coat and a smile, with a golden coin tucked in between his fingers. The man was blond, short hair, eyes that glimmered unnaturally, and Jeric felt a small wave of discomfort. 

“Hello, how may I help you?” Jeric spoke politely. The stranger grinned cheerfully, showing off his sparkling teeth. 

“Ay, is Anton here?” The stranger spoke, his voice light, sounding like a lost song. However, it was also eerie, like the echoes of an abandoned church.

Anton was one of Jeric’s coworkers. He had taken a day off today, and Jeric couldn’t push off this odd customer to someone else. “Ah, you have rotten luck, sir. He’s staying home today,” Jeric answered. “I’ll be pleased to serve you instead.”

“Ah. All right then. A whiskey, then.”

Jeric set down his cloth and plucked a clean glass from the counter, and served the stranger his drink. He couldn’t shake off something dreadful about him, but also at the same time… alluring. It was the same sensation he had gotten from-

_ No. We don’t think of that man. _

Jeric continued to tidy up his workstation and serve other patrons, but the evening seemed to blur around him as all he could focus on was the stranger. His appearance, his aura, everything seemed to irk something in Jeric. Every time he met eyes with the stranger, Jeric would be greeted to a sly smirk and nod. He got an odd feeling the man was looking attentively at his hands, which were hidden under clean white gloves. Almost as if the stranger  _ knew _ why Jeric was the only bartender who wore gloves.

_ Impossible. _

The stranger sipped his drink extremely slowly. Jeric half wanted him to finish it and leave, but the time seemed to melt by without the liquid in the glass lowering. The whole night shift went by in a strange haze, with the stranger asking for another glass when it finally emptied. When Jeric served him his drink, the stranger leaned forward and whispered in Jeric’s ear, “Meet me in the back alley after hours.”

Jeric didn’t reply. His expression was just of confusion. Ah, oh well. He could always slip away and avoid the stranger in the worst case scenario… right?

The minutes seemed to drip by like molasses, impossibly slow compared to the rest of the night. It seemed that whoever this stranger was, the aura he carried was akin to the same that the midget demon carried, and the… other.

_ We don’t think of them. _ The voice in his mind spoke firmly.

\---

Finally it was time to pack up. It seemed the stranger stayed until the last moment before the club closed before taking his leave. Jeric packed up and left the establishment as quickly as he could, making a run for it.

“Jeric! Fancy seeing you.”

Jeric whipped around and saw the stranger wave. He froze like an antelope staring at the jaws of a lion. It was too late to run away, but perhaps he could get what was going on from this man… Maybe it was just his overactive paranoia. Jeric silently pleaded in his mind.  _ Please. _

The stranger walked out, his coat flapping in the chilly breeze. He offered his hand out, his grin irresistible. “Come, I have some things to talk to you about.”

It reeked of  _ him _ . Jeric promised himself that those days were over. “Sir, I’m really busy, you know, I can’t really-”

“Oh, but I insist.” The man’s eyes glinted, like the spark at the beginning of a raging forest fire. “I know, you have questions. I’ve got answers.”

God, another being that knew too much for its own good. “No, I really have to go home.” Jeric regretted leaving his tools in the chest back home. He could really use something to defend himself now.

“Then we can talk there.”

“You’re being really creepy, you know that?” Jeric retorted, and much to his surprise the stranger blinked and pulled back. “I really have something to do at home, and I really don’t deal with threats,” Jeric spoke as he narrowed his eyes, “especially from beings like you.”

“Ah.” The stranger changed his approach, his face turning to that of awkwardness. “So you do know more than you let on. I’m sorry for coming off so creepy. I need your help. Please, could you hear me out?” A small genuine smile, and a twinkle of the eye. Jeric recognized it all.

However, Jeric also knew of the dangers of refusing beings that were capable of terrifying things. He had no idea what he should do now. “Fine. Introduce yourself.”

The stranger grinned and bowed, gesturing to himself. “My name is Jules. I am a humble man of many talents, but I’ve heard rumors of the fabric of this realm shaking to its roots. I’ve heard from a comrade of mine that we need to gather the assistance of the pieces to help fight against this threat.”

What a jumble of vague words that meant nothing. At least he had the decency to give Jeric his name. “So,  _ Jules _ , what is exactly what you want me to do?”

“I can explain in much more detail later, I’m sure we have enough time-”

There was a loud angry rumble from the sky. The clouds had turned a tragic grey, and the rumbling in the sky worsened, threatening a storm. Jules hissed, his calm and enchanting demeanor changing for the first time. “Fuck. Okay Jeric, I need you to get prepared, do you have your weapons?”

Jeric felt a crawl on his skin. “Weapons?”

“Yes, your weapons! I know you have them, do you have them on your person now?” Jules demanded, stepping forward him, glancing around. Jeric glanced at his small bag that held his bartender uniform. “Gods, do you not have them?”

_ Gods? _ Jeric narrowed his eyes. Of course, not knocking down on those who didn’t believe in just a single higher being… but it reminded him too much something certain others would say… “No, I don’t. Why do you know that I-”

Jule grabbed Jeric’s arms and was shaking him, and Jeric was frozen from fear. “Damn it all! Fuck. You must have them at your home, yes? Where do you live?”

“Listen, I don’t know what you’ve been smoking, but can you let go of me please?” Jeric was trying very hard to keep his fear from his voice. Jules glared at him, but let go of him.

“Sorry. Lost my temper right there.”

“But yes, my stuff is all home.” Jeric admitted reluctantly. It seemed important, despite how much he dreaded what Jules had to say to him. “You haven’t exactly quite explained anything, you know.” 

“Let us go then. I’ll explain everything when time isn’t dire.” Jules grabbed ahold of Jeric’s arm and in a stretch of astonishing events, Jules revealed a pair of glowing golden wings from his back, and launched both of them into the air. Jeric was panicking as he watched the wings flap furiously, achieving flight when it should have been impossible. He was too busy clinging onto Jules’s arm to attack him violently. 

“What the fuck?!” Jeric yelled over the wind, and Jules chuckled. 

“You’re kinda cute when you’re bewildered like that.” Jules laughed, “I know where you live by the way, but I just wanted to offer the illusion of choice.”

“If I wasn’t hanging on for dear life, I would smack you upside your goddamn head!” Jeric snarled, and Jules merely snickered.

They landed in front of Jeric’s apartment, and he was mildly annoyed that Jules knew his homeplace. At least he had the decency to step back and let him open the door with his key, and Jeric stumbled into the space to be confronted with another surprise.

It was Timothy, the devil that had been haunting his nightmares with his horrid sharp toothed grin. He was the first creature Jeric had seen back way then, and he associated Timothy’s presence as an omen for bad things to come, as Timothy never brought with him good news. He was sitting on the cursed chest, moving his hooved legs to and fro looking bored, but his face lit up when he spotted Jeric. 

“Jeric! Just the man I’ve been expectin’!” Timothy raised his paws into the air and smiled with his eyes closed, his devilish crown floating in between his horns, which Jeric always thought were rather large for Timothy’s small stature. “What took you so long? I’ve been waitin’ top of this dusty chest for hours. Thought you were dead.”

“Timothy, what the fuck is going on?” Jeric hissed, reaching over and grabbing Timothy by the neck and lifting him into the air, who immediately made choking noises. “Did you send this fucking crazy winged bastard to get me? Why the fuck do you keep bothering me?”

“Gaaack- Listen! Please-” Timothy was pawing at Jeric’s gloved hand, his small claws not making much progress in liberating his throat from Jeric’s death grip.

Jules stepped forward, his wings hidden and raised a finger. “Ah, quick question, did you just call him, ‘Timothy’?”

Jeric turned to look at Jules, his hand still gripped tightly around Timothy’s throat, who was starting to turn blue. “Yep.”

“Oh. That’s downright adorable. What, Teemo? Is ‘Timothy’ your street name?” Jules snickered, crossing his arms. Jeric was startled and dropped Timothy on the floor, who was coughing, breathing heavily to recover from being strangled. 

“Jules, did you just call him ‘Teemo’?” Jeric questioned, the name was completely unfamiliar. 

Jules shrugged. “Yeah. That’s his name.”

Jeric turned back to ‘Teemo’ and scowled. “You didn’t even have the decency to tell me your real name? You’re absolutely awful.”

Teemo coughed again, but laughed. “Well, Jules seems to have his share of taking up pseudonyms.” Jeric narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Jules again. “C’mon, ask him his name! Aah… my throat hurts.”

“What is  _ your _ name, then?” Jeric growled, and he was secretly pleased to see Jules look visibly uncomfortable.

“Well, Jules is my name, just the name I’m not most commonly known by now-”

“Just spit it out, goddamnit!”

“Okay okay,” Jules waved his hands in surrender. “My name is Jae, okay? I didn’t introduce myself to you as that just in case someone overheard…”

Great, so both of these scoundrels were filled with lies. Jeric was annoyed beyond belief and put his hands to his hips, looking like an angry parent scolding his children. “Are there any more lies that you two have to confess?”

There was a small bit of silence. Jae then piped up, “I don’t actually like whiskey.”

Well, that explained why it took him so long to finish his drink. “Fine, whatever. Why do you exactly need me to get my weapons and follow you again?”

There was another awkward silence until Teemo piped up, “Bluntly, there is a transdimensional deity that is really annoyed with all the crossing over and twisting of timelines, and he threatens to ‘organize’ the dimensions as he sees fit.”

It was the first answer Jeric got the whole day, and he couldn’t understand any of it. “I’m sorry, what?” Teemo seemed slightly irritated, until Jae butted in.

“Jeric, the universes where your alternate selves live in are being threatened by this creature because of the rifts in Dementia. These portals and openings caused too much alteration to the so called ‘natural order’, and this deity wants to organize things so where no one will ever cross over again.”

Jeric absorbed Jae’s words and blinked. “Sorry, what exactly is wrong with that?”

Jae laughed, but more of a panicked laugh of exasperation rather than of good humor. “I’ve long abandoned the universe I am from. I refuse to go back to that disaster of a place. You… you were made for some unknown reason, but you don’t have a universe to belong to.” Jae smiled sadly as he continued, “Best case scenario, I will be restricted to where I came from, but you… you might be wiped from existence.”

Teemo interjected, “Any being that lives in Dementia is in danger, basically. The deity has been in a constant feud with the other beings that live and ‘manage’ this realm, and can’t really be reasoned with.”

“So… you’re saying I’m going to die.”

Jae nodded solemnly. “Yes.”

How was he going to take this? As much as he loathed his mere existence, being a  _ copy _ of someone else, Jeric still didn’t want to die. He wanted to make something of his life, even if it was something that was given to him by accident. Perhaps it was some bit of guilt and selfish desire in him as well, a yearning… perhaps.

_ Not now. _

He hesitated, but pushed away the complicated thoughts. “Fine, I’ll help you. What exactly is the idea, the end goal of this plan?” Jeric asked.

“Ah, well. The idea was to bring together all the pieces of ‘us’ and attract the attention of the deity and… perhaps…” Jae faltered, “Take him on?”

“Bring together all the pieces. Do you mean…”

Teemo nodded. “Yes. Never thought you’ll meet them again, did ya?”

The wild thoughts were flaring up again, and Jeric tried to shake them out. 

“Wait wait wait. That means Jae is also a…?”

Jae gestured and bowed deeply. “Yep! The Angelic Jhin, at your service.”

“Angel. Sure, got it.” Jeric grumbled. He then sighed deeply and walked over to the chest and flicked up the latch. He lifted the lid and gloomily gazed at the contents: the pieces of his rifle, his vest, bandanna, and of course his hat and goggles, the lenses tinted red.

He pulled off his coat and rolled his right shoulder to stretch it, the small clicks of the mechanical joints becoming audible. Jeric’s right arm was completely mechanical, and had been ever since he had lost it to an aggressive Dementian. He dressed himself in the outfit from the chest, and fully equipped himself with the belt that held his grenades and his rifle. And finally over all of that, a poncho that hid his equipment.

Jeric set his hat on top of his head and snapped his goggles to his eyes. They were augmented so the red tint to the lenses actually allowed him to focus on his target better. He glanced at Teemo, who looked so excited and on the verge of tears. Jeric himself felt annoyed more than anything. Jae looked smug, and Jeric found himself wondering more about him. Well, those questions could be asked ‘later’.

“I’m ready. Where do we go now?” Jeric grumbled. Teemo clapped his paws, but before he could speak, Jae leaned in to interrupt him.

“To my realm. We have a member we need to recruit over there, and he never listens to me… but. Perhaps he will listen to you.”

“Fine. Let us depart then.”

The odd trio set off, and Jeric locked his apartment door, but oddly knew he wasn’t going to come back in a long time. After all, the past had come back to hunt him down and drag him out of his comfort zone.

Teemo spawned a swirling red vortex in the dirt. He gestured, and Jae hopped in without hesitation. Teemo nodded towards Jeric, and he stepped into the portal, and let the spinning red maw of the unknown consume him.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: As you can see there was a lot retconned from the orijhinal story of Dementia/Leagueverse. (haha pun get it) The third chapter of the original story had Jeric meet with The One and Only Original Khada Jhin and Taric, but that was lost in the great storm of Irma. Fucking hurricanes. But I still kept quite a bit of it from it, but the most important change is that Jeric and Jhiro have never met. I merely did this for starting off on a blank slate purposes. 
> 
> SPEAKING OF JHIRO. He’s been completely retconned. To those confused, he currently follows the story of my Bloodmoon Jhin, and the old pre rp blog “Jhiro” isn’t canon anymore. That does make the characters of Yuji and Darian and what happens to them questionable. I might bring them back, in different scenarios or as minor characters, as I don’t care for their old personalities/lore that I had for them anymore.
> 
> And to those who still are confused: I’m sorry this doesn’t make any sense. It’s meant to be self indulgent a tad bit, and I've gotten a huge muse for High Noon Jhin lately, so I figured I'd get it out. I really should be working on other things, haha!


End file.
